Advertisers buying mobile billboard campaigns are asking for more than an impression count, according to Can't Miss US, a digital mobile billboard truck company that runs campaigns in more than 100 U.S. markets. They also want to know where the trucks went.
The company's post-campaign reports include estimated impressions, reach and frequency, the standard audience figures used across out-of-home (OOH) advertising. They also include GPS route data, miles driven and photos taken while the campaign was running. Mizba Lakdawala-Sajan, digital marketing manager at Can't Miss US, said the route data is often what clients ask about first.
"For years the only question after a campaign was how many impressions we got," Lakdawala-Sajan said. "Now the first call is usually, can you show me the route? Streets close. A game lets out early. Traffic backs up on the way to a venue. The report should show what the truck actually did that day, not what the plan said it would do."
The shift lines up with work happening across the industry. In March, Geopath and the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) said Ipsos would support a pilot of a new U.S. audience measurement system in the second half of this year. In June, the World Out of Home Organization published an updated version of its global measurement guidelines, with input from measurement bodies in 28 territories. OAAA also updated its OpenOOH venue taxonomy in February. Can't Miss US is not involved in those efforts.
With a fixed billboard, location isn't in question. With a truck, it is. Lakdawala-Sajan said the company tries to keep three things separate when talking with clients: the audience estimate, the record of where the truck ran, and any evidence that people acted on the ad, such as QR code scans or website visits. A route map can't say how many people looked up, and an impression estimate can't say which streets the truck drove. Neither one proves anyone bought anything.
One recent report, for software company Stigg.io, covered a single truck that drove 29 miles around Redwood City, California, on July 20. It estimated 81,100 impressions and 66,600 unique people reached, at an average frequency of 1.2.
Reporting gets harder when the creative changes during a campaign. Can't Miss US runs synchronized video across several trucks at once, ads that switch based on a truck's location, and interactive screens audiences can post to by scanning a QR code. When the message depends on where the truck is, clients want to know which ad played where, and when.
About Can't Miss US
Founded in 2016, Can't Miss US operates more than 100 digital LED billboard trucks across more than 100 U.S. markets, a fleet the company describes as the largest in the country. It handles route planning, creative uploads, GPS route verification and proof-of-performance reporting for brands, media agencies, political campaigns and event marketers. The company is a member of the DPAA and MOOHA. More information is available at https://cantmiss.us.
Media Contact
Mizba Lakdawala-Sajan
Digital Marketing Manager
Can't Miss US
4450 Peachtree Lakes Dr., Ste 100, Duluth, GA 30096
+1 (888) 637-3433
